LED driving device, illuminator, and Liquid Crystal Display device

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a light emitting diode (LED) driving device as a semiconductor device, which comprises: a direct current/direct current (DC/DC) controller, for controlling an output segment that is used to generate an output voltage from an input voltage and supply the output voltage to an LED; an output current driver, for generating an output current of the LED; and an LED short-circuit detection circuit, for monitoring a cathode voltage of the LED to perform an LED short-circuit detection, wherein the LED short-circuit detection circuit controls whether an action is performed or not according to a short-circuit detection enable signal input from outside the LED driving device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a Light Emitting Diode (LED) drivingdevice for performing LED driving control, and an illuminator and aLiquid Crystal Display (LCD) device using the LED driving device.

2. Description of the Related Art

In recent years, LEDs requiring low energy consumption and sustaininglong service life have gradually gained prominence as a substitute forfilament lamps and fluorescent lamps and are used for an increasingvariety of purposes.

Patent Document 1 can be taken as an example of the relevant prior art.

PRIOR ART DOCUMENT

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-287617

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

Various problems need to be addressed by an LED driving control device,for example, output charge residual during shutdown, malfunction of anLED short-circuit detection function, and so on.

One of the various technical features disclosed in this specification isan LED driving device capable of quickly eliminating the output chargeresidual during shutdown, and an illuminator and an LCD device using theLED driving device (the first objective).

A second of the various technical features disclosed in thisspecification is to provide an LED driving device capable of eliminatingmalfunction of the LED short-circuit detection function, and anilluminator and an LCD device using the LED driving device (the secondobjective).

Technical Means for Solving the Problems

<First Technical Feature>

In order to achieve the first objective, an LED driving device of thefirst technical feature is provided, which comprises: a directcurrent/direct current (DC/DC) controller, for controlling an outputsegment that is used to generate an output voltage from an input voltageand supply the output voltage to an LED; an output current driver, forgenerating an output current of the LED; and an output dischargingcircuit, for performing, based on a predetermined control signal,discharging of an output voltage when a generation action of the outputvoltage and an output current stops (structure 1-1).

In the LED driving device having the structure 1-1, the outputdischarging circuit includes a first N-channel field effect transistor(FET) that connects/disconnects an applied end of the output voltage anda ground end according to the control signal applied to a gate thereof(structure 1-2).

In the LED driving device having the structure 1-2, the outputdischarging circuit further includes a second N-channel FET, a drain ofthe second N-channel FET is connected to the applied end of the outputvoltage, a source thereof is connected to a drain of the first N-channelFET, and a gate thereof is connected to the gate of the first N-channelFET (structure 1-3).

In the LED driving device having the structure 1-3, the outputdischarging circuit further includes a Zener diode, a cathode of theZener diode is connected to the applied end of the control signal, andan anode thereof is connected to the ground end (structure 1-4).

In the LED driving device having the structure 1-4, an upper layer of atleast one of the first and second N-channel FETs is stacked with awiring layer (structure 1-5).

In the LED driving device having any of the structures 1-1 to 1-5, thecontrol signal is an enable signal or a shutdown signal of the LEDdriving device (structure 1-6).

An illuminator of the first technical feature includes the LED drivingdevice having any of the structures 1-1 to 1-6, an output segment, andan LED (structure 1-7).

An LCD device of the first technical feature includes an LCD panel andthe illuminator having the structure 1-7 and illuminating the LCD panelfrom the back (structure 1-8).

<Second Technical Feature>

In order to achieve the second objective, an LED driving device of thesecond technical feature is provided, which comprises: a directcurrent/direct current (DC/DC) controller, for controlling an outputsegment that is used to generate an output voltage from an input voltageand supply the output voltage to an LED; an output current driver, forgenerating an output current of the LED; and an LED short-circuitdetection circuit, for monitoring a cathode voltage of the LED toperform an LED short-circuit detection, wherein the LED short-circuitdetection circuit controls whether an action is performed or notaccording to a short-circuit detection enable signal input from outsidethe LED driving device (structure 2-1).

In the LED driving device having the structure 2-1, the LEDshort-circuit detection circuit includes a comparator, which compares acathode voltage of an LED and a predetermined threshold voltage(structure 2-2).

In the LED driving device having the structure 2-2, the comparatorcontrols whether the action is performed or not according to ashort-circuit detection enable signal (structure 2-3).

In the LED driving device having the structure 2-2, the LEDshort-circuit detection circuit further includes a logic gate, whichmasks an output signal of the comparator according to the short-circuitdetection enable signal (structure 2-4).

An illuminator of the second technical feature includes the LED drivingdevice having any of the structures 2-1 to 2-4, an output segment, andthe LED (structure 2-5).

An LCD device of the second technical feature includes an LCD panel andthe illuminator having the structure 2-5 and illuminating the LCD panelfrom the back (structure 2-6).

Effects of the Invention

According to the first technical feature, an LED driving device capableof quickly eliminating output charge residual during shutdown, and anilluminator and an LCD device using the LED driving device are provided.

Moreover, according to the second technical feature, an LED drivingdevice capable of eliminating malfunction of an LED short-circuitdetection function, and an illuminator and an LCD device using the LEDdriving device are provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of a first structural embodiment of anLED driver integrated circuit (IC) (boost-buck application structuralembodiment);

FIG. 2 is a truth table of a correlation between input logic of LEDenable signals LEDEN1, LEDEN2 and an on/off status of LED outputterminals LED1 to LED4;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating output functions of FAIL1;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating output functions of FAIL2;

FIG. 5 is a list of protection functions of an LED driver IC 100;

FIG. 6 is a timing diagram illustrating a protection sequence;

FIG. 7 is a circuit block diagram of a second structural embodiment ofan LED driver IC (boost application structural embodiment);

FIG. 8 is a circuit block diagram of a third structural embodiment of anLED driver IC (buck application structural embodiment);

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a first implementation manner of an LCDdevice;

FIG. 10 is a timing diagram of an action example of an outputdischarging circuit A3;

FIG. 11A is a circuit diagram of a first structural embodiment of theoutput discharging circuit A3;

FIG. 11B is a circuit diagram of a second structural embodiment of theoutput discharging circuit A3;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a stacking example of a transistor A31 and awiring layer L;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a second implementation manner of an LCDdevice;

FIG. 14A is a circuit diagram of a first structural embodiment of an LEDshort-circuit detection circuit A4; and

FIG. 14B is a circuit diagram of a second structural embodiment of anLED short-circuit detection circuit A4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

<Block Diagram (First Structural Embodiment)>

FIG. 1 is a circuit block diagram of a first structural embodiment of anLED driver IC (boost-buck application structural embodiment) accordingto the present invention. An LED driver IC 100 of this embodiment is asemiconductor device, and includes an internal constant voltagegeneration portion 101, an Under Voltage Lock Out (UVLO) portion 102, aThermal Shut Down (TSD) portion 103, an Over Voltage Protection (OVP)portion 104, a logic control portion 105, an Over Current Protection(OCP) portion 106, a comparator 107, a Schmitt trigger 108, anoscillation portion 109, a slope generation portion 110, a Pulse WidthModulation (PWM) comparator 111, a driver control portion 112, an upperdriver 113, an N-channel metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) FET 114, alower driver 115, an N-channel MOS FET 116, an error amplifier 117, aslow start portion 118, a Schmitt trigger 119, an output current settingportion 120, a constant current driver 121, anopen-circuit/short-circuit detection portion 122, and Schmitt triggers123 and 124.

In this manner, a switch power source IC, a microcomputer/counter LargeScale Integrated Circuit (LSI), and a discrete protection circuit thatare originally mounted separately on a substrate are gathered onto thesingle-chip LED driver IC 100, so as to reduce the area of the substrateand decrease the percentage of defective products. In addition, throughthe reduction in area of the substrate, the varied light source designcan be realized agilely.

Moreover, in order to establish an electrical connection to the outsideof the IC, the LED driver IC 100 includes 28 external terminals (COMP,SS, EN, RT, SYNC, SHDETEN, GND, PWM, FAIL1, FAIL2, LEDEN1, LEDEN2, LED1,LED2, LED3, LED4, OVP, VDAC, ISET, PGND, VDISC, OUTL, SW, OUTH, CS,BOOT, VREG, and VCC).

The internal constant voltage generation portion 101 generates aninternal constant voltage VREG (for example, 5 V) from an input voltageVin applied to a VCC terminal.

The UVLO portion 102 shuts down circuits except the internal constantvoltage generation portion 101 when the input voltage Vin becomes lowerthan 3.5 V or the internal constant voltage VREG becomes lower than 2.0V.

The TSD portion 103 shuts down the circuits except the internal constantvoltage generation portion 101 when the junction temperature of the LEDdriver IC 100 becomes higher than 175° C. Further, the TSD portion 103restores the circuit action when the junction temperature of the LEDdriver IC 100 becomes lower than 150° C.

The OVP portion 104 detects a DC/DC output voltage Vout according to anOVP terminal voltage, and performs the over voltage protection when theOVP terminal voltage becomes higher than 2.0 V. After the over voltageprotection is performed, an SS terminal capacitor C6 is discharged, anda DC/DC switch is turned off.

The logic control portion 105 has a function of monitoring a detectionstatus of various protection circuit portions to output a failuredetection signal at a FAIL1 terminal, and a lockout function of a timerof external PWM signals.

The OCP portion 106 detects a current flowing in a power FET (thetransistor N1) to be used as a voltage signal (the CS terminal voltage)by using a high-voltage side detection resistor R3, and when the CSterminal voltage becomes lower than VCC−0.6 V, performs the subsequentover current protection. After the over current protection is performed,the SS terminal capacitor C6 is discharged, and the DC/DC switch isturned off.

The comparator 107 compares the CS terminal voltage input to aninverting input end (−) with a predetermined reference voltage (VCC−V1)input to a non-inverting input end (+), and outputs a comparison resultto the OCP portion 106.

The Schmitt trigger 108 transfers an input signal of a SYNC terminal tothe oscillation portion 109.

The oscillation portion 109 generates a predetermined clock signalaccording to the input signal of the SYNC terminal or a terminal voltageof an RT terminal, and outputs the predetermined clock signal to theslope generation portion 110.

The slope generation portion 110 generates a slope signal (a triangularwave signal) based on the clock signal input from the oscillationportion 109, and outputs the slope signal to the PWM comparator 111.Moreover, the slope generation portion 110 further has a function ofgiving the slope signal an offset according to the CS terminal voltage(equivalent to a switch current flowing in the transistor N1).

The PWM comparator 111 compares an error signal input to thenon-inverting input end (+) with the slope signal input to the invertinginput end (−), generates an internal PWM signal, and outputs theinternal PWM signal to the driver control portion 112.

The driver control portion 112 generates a driving signal of the upperdriver 113, the transistor 114 and the lower driver 115 based on theinternal PWM signal.

The upper driver 113 enables an OUTH terminal voltage (a gate voltage ofthe transistor N1) to fall between a BOOT terminal voltage and an SWterminal voltage based on the driving signal input from driver controlportion 112, so as to perform pulse driving.

The transistor 114 is on/off based on the driving signal input from thedriver control portion 112, so as to connect/disconnect the SW terminaland a GND terminal.

The lower driver 115 enables a gate voltage of the transistor 116 tofall between the internal constant voltage VREG and a ground voltagebased on the driving signal input from the driver control portion 112,so as to perform pulse driving.

The transistor 116 is on/off based on the gate voltage input from thelower driver 115, so as to connect/disconnect an OUTL terminal and theGND terminal.

The error amplifier 117 amplifies a difference between a minimum valueof LED terminal voltages VLED1 to VLED4 respectively applied to theinverting input ends (−) of four systems and a reference voltage Vrefapplied to the non-inverting input end (+), generates an error signal,and outputs the error signal to the PWM comparator 111.

The slow start portion 118 controls the error amplifier 117 by means ofslowly increasing a voltage level of the error signal according to an SSterminal voltage.

The Schmitt trigger 119 transfers an input signal of the PWM terminal(an external PWM signal) to the output current setting portion 120.

The output current setting portion 120 sets an output current ILEDflowing in LED rows LED1 to LED4. The output current setting portion 120can perform PWM dimming control by using the PWM terminal or lineardimming control by using a VDAC terminal, and use either the PWM dimmingcontrol or the linear dimming control as dimming control of the LED rowsLED1 to LED4.

The constant current driver 121 generates the output current ILEDflowing in the LED rows LED1 to LED4 based on an instruction from theoutput current setting portion 120.

The open-circuit/short-circuit detection portion 122 has the followingfunctions: detecting LED open-circuit and LED short-circuit, outputtinga failure protection signal to the constant current driver 121, andoutputting a failure detection signal at a FAIL2 terminal. Moreover, theopen-circuit/short-circuit detection portion 122 further has anenable/disable switching function of the short-circuit detectionfunction based on an input signal of a SHDETEN terminal.

The Schmitt trigger 123 transfers an input signal of a LEDEN1 terminalto the open-circuit/short-circuit detection portion 122.

The Schmitt trigger 124 transfers an input signal of a LEDEN2 terminalto the open-circuit/short-circuit detection portion 122.

<Boost-Buck Application Structure>

In the boost-buck application structure shown in FIG. 1, an LED driverIC 100 is externally connected to an N-channel MOS FET N1, resistors R1to R6, capacitors C1 to C6, diodes D1 and D2, an inductor L1, and LEDrows LED1 to LED4.

A drain of the transistor N1 is connected to a CS terminal and a firstend of the resistor R3. A second end of the resistor R3 is connected toan applied end of an input voltage Vin. A source and a back gate of thetransistor N1 are connected to an SW terminal. A gate of the transistorN1 is connected to an OUTH terminal. A cathode of the diode D1 isconnected to the SW terminal. An anode of the diode D1 is connected to aground end. A first end of the inductor L1 is connected to the SWterminal. A second end of the inductor L1 is connected to an anode ofthe diode D2 and an OUTL terminal. A cathode of the diode D2 isconnected to anodes of the LED rows LED1 to LED4 and a VDISC terminal.Cathodes of the LED rows LED1 to LED4 are respectively connected toterminals LED1 to LED4. The resistors R1 and R2 are connected in seriesbetween the VDISC terminal and the ground terminal. A connecting nodebetween the resistors R1 and R2 is connected to an OVP terminal. Thecapacitor C1 is connected between the applied end of the input voltageVin and the ground end. The capacitor C2 is connected between a VREGterminal and the ground end. The capacitor C3 is connected between theanodes of the LED rows LED1 to LED4 and the ground end. The capacitor C4is connected between a BOOT terminal and the SW terminal. A GND terminaland a PGND terminal are connected to the ground end. A VCC terminal isconnected to the applied end of the input voltage Vin. An RT terminal isconnected to the ground end through the resistor R4. A COMP terminal isconnected to the ground end through the resistor R5 and the capacitor C5in series connection. An SS terminal is connected to the ground endthrough the capacitor C6. An ISET terminal is connected to the groundend through the resistor R6.

<Description of Terminals>

The COMP terminal is an output terminal of the error amplifier. The SSterminal is a connection terminal of a slow start capacitor. An ENterminal is an enable terminal. The RT terminal is a connection terminalof a resistor for setting an oscillation frequency. An SYNC terminal isan input terminal of an external synchronizing signal. The SHDETENterminal is an input terminal of a short-circuit detection enablesignal. The GND terminal is a GND terminal of a small signal portion.The PWM terminal is an input terminal of a PWM dimming signal. A FAIL1terminal is a failure output terminal. A FAIL2 terminal is an LEDopen-circuit/short-circuit failure output terminal. An LEDEN1 terminaland an LEDEN2 terminal are LED output enable terminals. The terminalsLED1 to LED4 are LED output terminals. The OVP terminal is an overvoltage detection terminal. A VDAC terminal is a DC dimmable light inputterminal. An ISET terminal is an LED output current setting terminal.The PGND terminal is a GND terminal for LED output. The VDISC terminalis an output voltage discharging terminal. The OUTL terminal is a lowvoltage FET drain terminal. The SW terminal is a high voltage FET sourceterminal. The OUTH terminal is a high voltage FET gate terminal. The CSterminal is a terminal for DC/DC output current detection. The BOOTterminal is a high voltage FET driver power source terminal. The VREGterminal is an internal constant voltage terminal. The VCC terminal isan input power source terminal.

<Summary>

The LED driver IC 100 is a 40V white LED driver having a high withstandvoltage. The LED driver IC 100 has four inbuilt channels on a singlechip for outputting a constant current. The channel can provide amaximum current of 120 mA/ch, and therefore is applicable to drivingLEDs with high luminance. The LED driver IC 100 has an inbuilt DC/DCcontroller corresponding to a boost-buck current mode, and even when apower source voltage changes unstably (for example, when the powersource is directly connected to a battery), a stable action can beimplemented without being limited by the number of LED segments. The LEDdriver IC 100 can select either a PWM mode or a linear mode as an LEDdimming mode. The output MOSFET portion is mounted into the LED driverIC 100, which facilitates minimizing the area of the substrate.

<Advantages>

The first advantage of the LED driver IC 100 lies in that an inputvoltage range is controlled at 4.5 V to 30 V. The second advantage liesin the inbuilt DC/DC controller corresponding to the boost-buck currentmode. The third advantage lies in that four channels (a maximum currentcapacity thereof is 120 mA/ch) are mounted into the current driver fordriving the LED. The fourth advantage lies in correspondence with thePWM dimming (a minimum pulse width is 1 μs). The fifth advantage lies inachieving an oscillation frequency precision of ±5% (@300 kHz). Thesixth advantage lies in various inbuilt protection functions (UVLO, OVP,TSD, OCP, and SCP). The seventh advantage lies in the inbuilt LEDfailure status detection function (LED open-circuit/short-circuitdetection function). The eighth advantage lies in use of a Heat-sinkThin-Shrink Small Outline Package (HTSSOP)-B28 or Very Thin Quad FlatNon-leaded (VQFN)028V5050 for encapsulation.

<Use>

The LED driver IC 100 can be used as a light source driving mechanismfor an LCD stereo, or a small-to-medium sized LCD panel.

<5V Constant Voltage (VREG)>

The LED driver IC 100 includes an internal constant voltage generationportion 101 for generating a 5V internal constant voltage VREG from aninput voltage Vin applied to the VCC terminal (when EN=H). The internalconstant voltage VREG is used as a power source of an internal circuitin the LED driver IC 100, and is further used to fix a terminal to ahigh level voltage outside the LED driver IC 100. The internal constantvoltage VREG is monitored by the UVLO portion 102. When Vin>4.0 V andVREG>3.5 V, an internal circuit starts performing actions; while whenVin<3.5 V or VREG<2.0 V, the internal circuit stops performing actions.In order to stabilize circuit actions, the VREG terminal is desirablyconnected to a capacitor C2 (for example, 2.2 μF) for phasecompensation.

<Constant Current Driver>

When the output current ILED from the constant current driver 121 doesnot flow in one of the LED output terminals LED1 to LED 4 (and thus theLED rows are not turned on), the LEDEN1 terminal and the LEDEN2 terminalcan be used to separately cut off a current output to the LED outputterminals LED1 to LED4.

FIG. 2 is a truth table of a correlation between input logic of LEDenable signals LEDEN1, LEDEN2 and on/off status of LED output terminalsLED1 to LED4.

The LEDEN1 terminal and LEDEN2 terminal are pulled down inside the LEDdriver IC 100, and both become a low level in an open-circuit status (astatus in which the output current ILED flows in the terminals LED1 toLED4). Therefore, under the circumstance that the terminals LED1 to LED4contain unused terminal, one or both of the LEDEN1 terminal and theLEDEN2 terminal are connected to the VREG terminal, so as to fix theterminal voltage at a high level.

Furthermore, if the LED enable signals LEDEN1 and LEDEN2 are unused, theunused LED output terminal is set to be an open-circuit. In this case, amalfunction is generated in the open-circuit detection of theopen-circuit/short-circuit detection portion 122. In another aspect, byusing the LED enable signals LEDEN1 and LEDEN2 to separately cut off thecurrent output to the LED output terminal that is not used, themalfunction can be avoided.

<Output Current Setting Method>

The output current ILED flowing in the LED rows LED1 to LED4 iscalculated according to the following Formula (1). Further, a parametersuch as min[VDAC, 2.0 V] in Formula (1) is the lower of the VDACterminal voltage and a predetermined constant voltage VISET (which isequal to 2.0 V) inside the output current setting portion 120. Moreover,a parameter such as RISET is a resistance value of the resistor R6, andGAIN is a constant determined inside the circuit of the constant currentdriver 121.ILED=min[VDAC,2.0 V]/RISET×GAIN[A]  (1)

That is to say, the ISET terminal is pulled down to be connected to theresistor R6, and a predetermined gain multiple of the reference currentISET flowing in the resistor R6 is set to a maximum value of the outputcurrent ILED.

Under the circumstance that the VDAC terminal is used to control theoutput current ILED, an ideal input range is 0.0 V to 2.0 V. By applyingsuch a voltage, the output current ILED can be decreased from themaximum value gradually. Furthermore, under the circumstance that theVDAC terminal is set to a voltage above 2.0 V, as shown in Formula (1),the value of the constant voltage VISET (which is equal to 2.0 V) isselected. Therefore, the dimming function by use of the VDAC terminalturns to a nonuse status. Under the circumstance that the VDAC terminalis not used, in order to avoid malfunction, the VDAC terminal isdesirably not an open-circuit and is connected to the VREG terminal.

<PWM Dimming Control>

Apart from performing the linear dimming control by use of the VDACterminal, the LED driver IC 100 can also perform the PWM dimming controlby use of the PWM terminal. The PWM dimming control is implementedthrough turning on/off the constant current driver 121 based on theexternal PWM signal input to the PWM terminal. A duty ratio of theexternal PWM signal becomes a duty ratio of the output current ILED.Under the circumstance that the PWM dimming is not performed (the dutyratio is 100%), the PWM signal needs only be fixed at a high level (forexample, the constant voltage VREG).

<DC/DC Controller>

A DC/DC controller block of the LED driver IC 100 is described in detailhereinafter (which includes circuit blocks of the oscillation portion109, the slope generation portion 110, the PWM comparator 111, thedriver control portion 112, the upper driver 113, the transistor 114,the lower driver 115, the transistor 116, the error amplifier 117, andthe slow start portion 118).

The error amplifier 113 amplifies a difference between a lowest value ofthe LED terminal voltages VLED1 to VLED4 and the reference voltage Vref,to generate an error voltage Verr. When the lowest value of the LEDterminal voltages VLED1 to VLED4 is lower than the reference voltageVref and the difference increases, the level of the voltage value of theerror voltage Verr is higher.

The PWM comparator 111 compares the error voltage Verr and a triangularwave voltage Vslp, to generate an internal PWM signal. If the errorvoltage Verr is higher than the triangular wave voltage Vslp and thedifference increases, the level of the internal PWM signal is higher;while if the error voltage Verr is lower than the triangular wavevoltage Vslp and the difference increases, the level of the internal PWMsignal is lower.

The driver control portion 112 performs on/off control of thetransistors N1, 114 and 116 based on the internal PWM signal.Specifically, when the internal PWM signal is at a high level, thedriver control portion 112 turns on the transistors N1 and 116, andturns off the transistor 114. In contrast, when the internal PWM signalis at a low level, the driver control portion 112 turns off thetransistors N1 and 116, and turns on the transistor 114.

If the transistors N1 and 116 are turned on and the transistor 114 isturned off, a current flows on a path from the applied end of the inputvoltage Vin to the ground end through the resistor R3, the transistorN1, the inductor L1 and the transistor 116. Electrical energy isaccumulated in the inductor L1. At this time, when charges areaccumulated in the capacitor C3, the output current ILED flows from thecapacitor C3 to the anodes of the LED rows LED1 to LED4. Furthermore,since the diode D2 turns to a reverse biased voltage status, the currentdoes not flow from the capacitor C3 into the transistor 116.

If the transistors N1 and 116 are turned off while the transistor 114 isturned on, due to a counter electromotive force generated by theinductor L1, the current flows on a path from the ground end and passesthrough the transistor 114, the inductor L1 and the diode D2. Thecurrent, as the output current ILED, flows into the LED rows LED1 toLED4, and flows to the ground end through the capacitor C3, so as tocharge the capacitor C3.

The above action is performed repeatedly, and the output voltage Voutobtained by boosting and bucking the input voltage Vin is supplied tothe LED rows LED1 to LED4.

Furthermore, if the duty ratio of the transistor N1 (a ratio of onecycle to an on-period) is less than 50%, a buck action is performed onthe input voltage Vin. If the duty ratio of the transistor N1 is greaterthan 50%, a boost action is performed on the input voltage Vin. In thisway, the LED driver IC 100 can be implemented by a simple structure, andmeanwhile, the boost/buck action is switched easily and properly.

Therefore, the LED driver IC 100 can constantly obtain the requiredoutput voltage Vout regardless whether the input voltage Vin is higherthan or lower than the required output voltage Vout. For example, when arequired value of the output voltage Vout is 16 V, under thecircumstance that the input voltage Vin varies within the range of 6 to18 V, the required output voltage Vout can still be obtained. Thisstructure can be used in applications where it is necessary to supportthe input voltage Vin being directly supplied by a battery (for example,an LED driver IC for controlling a backlight device in a vehiclenavigation monitor).

Moreover, in the LED driver IC 100, a switch control mechanism of thetransistor 116 not only includes the upper driver 113 that is actuatedupon reception of a boost voltage BOOT, but also includes the lowerdriver 115 that is actuated upon reception of the internal constantvoltage VREG. Through such a structure, unnecessary raising of awithstand voltage of the transistor 116 is avoided.

The LED driver IC 100 also includes a ringing prevention mechanism incase the transistor 114 is of a light load or no load. A currentcapacity of the transistor 114 is desirably designed to be a necessaryminimum which does necessitate an undesirable expansion of chip area ordecrease in conversion efficiency, and can allow for extraction of amicro current such as a ringing noise. The transistor 114 and thetransistors N1 and 116 are under a complementary (exclusive) switchcontrol.

Through such a structure, even if the output current ILED is decreasedunder a small load or no load and a ringing is generated, which causeschaotic wave forms (the so-called discontinuous mode), the ringing noisecan still be dissipated to the ground end through the transistor 114, soas to improve the stability of the boost/buck action.

Furthermore, the terms such as “complementary (exclusive)” used in thespecification not only include the case that the on/off status of thetransistors N1 and 116 and that of the transistor 114 are completelyinverted, but also include the case of setting a period when thetransistors N1 and 116 and the transistor 114 are off at the same time,so as to prevent the through current.

<LED Rows>

In the LED driver IC 100, cathode voltages of the LED rows LED1 to LED4(the LED terminal voltages VLED1 to VLED4) are respectively detected,and the anode voltage of the LED rows LED1 to LED4 (the output voltageVout) is controlled in a manner of making the lowest value of thecathode voltages consistent with the reference voltage Vref (which isequal to 1.0 V).

For example, under the circumstance that among forward voltage drops VF1to VF4 of the LED rows LED1 to LED4 (a total value of the forwardvoltage drops VF of all LED components in all rows), the forward voltagedrop VF1 of the LED row LED1 is greatest, among the LED terminalvoltages VLED1 to VLED4, the LED terminal voltage VLED1 becomes thelowest value. Therefore, the LED terminal voltage VLED1 becomes avoltage value consistent with the reference voltage Vref (which is equalto 1.0 V), and the LED terminal voltages VLED2 to VLED4 become voltagevalues higher than the reference voltage Vref.

Furthermore, if the forward voltage drops VF1 to VF4 of all rows have asignificant difference, any of the LED terminal voltages VLED1 to VLED4will be higher than a short-circuit detection voltage VDSHT (which isequal to 4.5 V), leading to an LED short-circuit error detection.Therefore, for the forward voltage drops VF1 to VF4 of all rows, anon-uniform permissible voltage Vper (which is equal to 3.5 V) is setbased on the following Formula (2).Vper=VDSHT−Vref  (2)

Moreover, when detecting an open-circuit, the open-circuit/short-circuitdetection portion 122 sets 85% of an over voltage detection voltage(which is equal to 2.0 V) of the OVP portion 104 to an open-circuitdetection voltage (which is equal to 1.7 V). If the open-circuitdetection voltage is converted to the output voltage Vout, a maximumvalue of the output voltage Vout during a normal action becomes 30.6 V(30.6 V=36 V×0.85). Therefore, the number of LED components N in seriesconnection in the LED rows LED1 to LED4 is limited to a value (30.6/VF)which is obtained through dividing the maximum value (30.6 V) less thanthe output voltage Vout by a forward voltage drop VF of an LED component1.

<About the OVP Circuit>

A branch voltage of the output voltage Vout extracted from theconnecting node between the resistor R1 and the resistor R2 is input tothe OVP terminal. The over voltage detection voltage is appropriatelydetermined by referring to the number of LEDs N in series connection inthe LED rows and the non-uniform permissible voltage Vper of the forwardvoltage drops VF. The over voltage detection voltage is also desirablydetermined by considering the open-circuit detection voltage (which isequal to 85% of the over voltage detection voltage). After theprotection action is started, the OVP portion 104 releases theprotection action when the output voltage Vout becomes 72.5% of the overvoltage detection voltage. If the resistance value of the resistor R1 isset to ROVP1 and the resistance value of the resistor R2 is set toROVP2, the following Formula (3) is true. Therefore, if it is set thatROVP1=330 kΩ, and ROVP2=22 kΩ, the OVP portion 104 starts the protectionaction when the Vout is higher than 32 V.Vout≧{(ROVP1+ROVP2)/ROVP2}×2.0 V  (3)

<About the Oscillation Frequency FOSC of the Boost/Buck DC/DC Converter>

Through adjusting the resistance value of the resistor R4 connected tothe RT terminal, a current for charging/discharging the internalcapacitor of the oscillation portion 109 can be determined, and theoscillation frequency of the slope voltage Vslp is determined (therebyfurther determining the oscillation frequency FOSC of the boost/buckDC/DC converter). The resistance value of the resistor R4 connected tothe RT terminal externally can be set with reference to the followingFormula (4).FOSC=(200×10⁹/RT[Ω])×α[kHz]  (4)

Furthermore, in Formula (4), 200×10⁹[V/A/S] is a constant (±5%)determined inside the circuit, and α is a correction coefficient (RT:α=47 kΩ:0.94, 50 kΩ:0.98, 60 kΩ:0.985, 70 kΩ:0.99, 80 kΩ:0.994, 90kΩ:0.996, 100 kΩ:1.0, 150 kΩ:1.01, 200 kΩ:1.02, 300 kΩ:1.03, 400kΩ:1.04, 500 kΩ:1.045).

<About the External Synchronizing Oscillation Frequency FSYNC>

The LED driver IC 100 has a SYNC terminal that receives a clock inputfor external synchronization of the boost/buck DC/DC converter. Duringclock input to the SYNC terminal, actions such as switching to internaloscillation should not be performed. After the SYNC terminal is switchedfrom high level to low level and is fixed at the low level, a delay ofabout 30 μsec exists before the oscillation portion 109 is actuated. Theclock input to the SYNC terminal is only valid at a rising edge.Moreover, when the external input frequency lags behind the internaloscillation frequency, the oscillation portion 109 is actuated duringthe delay, and therefore, such an input should be avoided.

As described above, in the LED driver IC 100, by use of the RT terminalor the SYNC terminal, any variable control with high precision can beperformed on the oscillation frequency FOSC of the DC/DC converterblock. For example, under the circumstance that the LED driver IC 100 isused as a control mechanism of the backlight device in the vehiclenavigation monitor, if a proper external synchronizing oscillationfrequency F SYNC is set at the SYNC terminal according to the switchingcontrol of a radio frequency receiving frequency, the oscillationfrequency FOSC of the DC/DC converter block is prevented fromoverlapping with a band of radio frequency noise, thereby controllingthe backlight device of the vehicle navigation monitor without degradingradio frequency reception.

<About the Slow Start SS>

In the LED driver IC 100, by slowly raising the output voltage Voutwhile limiting the current during the start, overshoot or surge currentof the output voltage Vout can be prevented. Moreover, the SS terminalvoltage is restored to a low level during the OCP detection and OVPdetection, and therefore the switch is turned off; meanwhile a recoveryaction is started.

<Auto-Diagnosis Function>

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating output functions of FAIL1, andFIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating output functions of FAIL2. TheLED driver IC 100 outputs an action status of an inbuilt protectioncircuit of the IC to the FAIL1 terminal and the FAIL2 terminal (whichare both in an open drain manner). The output signal of the FAIL1terminal becomes a low level when any of the UVLO, TSD, OVP and SCP isactuated. The output signal of the FAIL2 terminal becomes a low levelwhen any of the LED open-circuit detection or short-circuit detection isactuated.

<Protection Circuit Action>

The low voltage malfunction prevention circuit (the UVLO portion 102)shuts down circuits except for the internal constant voltage generationportion 101 when the input voltage Vin becomes less than 3.5 V or theinternal constant voltage VREG becomes less than 2.0 V. The temperatureprotection circuit (the TSD portion 103) shuts down the circuits exceptfor the internal constant voltage generation portion 101 when a junctiontemperature of the IC becomes higher than 175° C. Further, the TSDportion 103 restores the circuit action when the junction temperature ofthe IC becomes lower than 150° C. The OCP circuit (the OCP portion 106)detects a current flowing in a power FET (the transistor N1) to be usedas a voltage signal by using the high-voltage side detection resistorR3, and performs the over current protection when the CS terminalvoltage becomes lower than VCC−0.6 V. If the over current protection isperformed, the SS terminal capacitor C6 is discharged, and the DC/DCswitch is turned off. The OVP circuit (the OVP portion 104) detects theDC/DC output voltage Vout by using the OVP terminal voltage, andperforms the over voltage protection when the OVP terminal voltagebecomes higher than 2.0 V. If the over voltage protection is performed,the SS terminal capacitor C6 is discharged, and the DC/DC switch isturned off.

<Output Short-Circuit Protection Circuit>

The LED driver IC 100 has an inbuilt output short-circuit protectioncircuit (SCP) which is not shown in FIG. 1. In the output short-circuitprotection circuit (SCP), if the LED terminal voltages VLED1 to VLED4become lower than 0.3 V, an inbuilt counter is actuated, and after about100 ms (when the FOSC is 2000 kHz), performs lockout to shut down thecircuit. If the LED terminal voltages VLED1 to VLED4 become higher than0.3 V within the 100 ms, the counter is restored. When the anode side(the DC/DC output end side) of the LED rows LED1 to LED4 has a groundfailure, the output current ILED is cut off, and the LED terminalvoltages VLED1 to VLED4 become a low level. Moreover, when a cathodeside of the LED rows LED1 to LED4 has a ground failure, the LED terminalvoltages VLED1 to VLED4 also become a low level. Therefore, the outputshort-circuit protection circuit (SCP) supports the ground failureprotection for both the anodes and cathodes of the LED rows LED1 toLED4.

<LED Open-Circuit Detection Circuit>

In the LED open-circuit detection circuit (OPEN) of theopen-circuit/short-circuit detection portion 122, when the LED terminalvoltages VLED1 to VLED4 become lower than 0.3 V and the OVP terminalvoltage is higher than 1.7 V, the LED open-circuit detection isperformed, and only the open-circuit LED row is turned off by thelockout.

<PWM Off Detection Circuit>

The logic control portion 105 has a PWM off detection portion forswitching the LED driver IC 100 to a power-saving mode (a sleep mode)when it is determined that the external PWM signal remains at a lowlevel for a predetermined period. Through such a structure, the LEDdriver IC 100 can save power. Further, after the enable signal input tothe EN terminal is set to a high level (the logic level duringenabling), the inbuilt counter of the logic control portion 105 isactuated, and after about 100 ms (when the FOSC is 2000 kHz), the PWMoff detection circuit is enabled to perform actions.

<Output Voltage Discharging Circuit>

The LED driver IC 100 has an output voltage discharging circuit (notshown in FIG. 1). Through connecting the VDISC terminal to the appliedend of the output voltage Vout, when the DC/DC controller block is shutdown according to the enable signal and various protection actions, theresidual charges of the capacitor C3 can be discharged quickly, therebypreventing the LED rows LED1 to LED4 from flickering.

<LED Short-Circuit Detection Portion>

In the LED short-circuit detection circuit (SHORT) of theopen-circuit/short-circuit detection portion 122, when the LED terminalvoltages VLED1 to VLED4 are higher than 4.5 V and the OVP terminalvoltage is lower than 1.6 V, the inbuilt counter is actuated, and afterabout 100 ms (when the FOSC is 300 kHz), performs lockout, and only theLED row where the short-circuit is detected is turned off by thelockout. During the PWM dimming that the external PWM signal is at ahigh level, the LED short-circuit detection action is valid, and in thismanner, the LED short-circuit detection signal is masked (referring toFIG. 4).

When the LED short-circuit detection is finished, after about 100 ms(when the FOSC is 300 kHz), the circuit is turned off through lockout.If an LED short-circuit detection condition is released within the 100ms, the counter is restored. The frequency of the counter is determinedby using the RT terminal, and the counter performs lockout at the countof 32770.

Further, when the forward voltage drops VF of the LED rows LED1 to LED4are of significant non-uniformity, the LED short-circuit detection canhave malfunction. Therefore, when the LED short-circuit detectionfunction is not performed, through setting the SHDETEN terminal to ahigh level (VREG) before the LED driver IC 100 is started, theshort-circuit detection function can be turned off (disabled). Inanother aspect, through setting the SHDETEN terminal to a low level (theGND short-circuit or open-circuit status), the LED short-circuitdetection function is turned on (enabled). However, during the action ofthe LED driver IC 100, the H/L switching of the SHDETEN terminal shouldbe avoided.

<About All Failure Conditions>

FIG. 5 is a list of protection functions of the LED driver IC 100. AnUVLO detection condition is that Vin<3.5 V or VREG<2.0 V, and an UVLOrelease condition is that Vin>4.0 V and VREG>3.5 V. The action duringthe UVLO detection is shutdown of all blocks (except REG). A TSDdetection condition is that Tj>175° C., and a TSD release condition isthat Tj<150° C. The action during the TSD detection is shutdown of allblocks (except REG). An OVP detection condition is that VOVP>2.0 V, andan OVP release condition is that VOVP<1.45 V. The action during the OVPdetection is extracting charges (discharge) of the SS terminal. An OCPdetection condition is that VCS≦VCC−0.6 V, and an OCS release conditionis that VCS>VCC−0.6 V. The action during the OCP detection is extractingcharges (discharge) of the SS terminal. An SCP detection condition isthat VLED1 to VLED4<0.3 V (100 ms delay, 300 kHz), and an SCP releasecondition is an EN input or the UVLO release. The action during the SCPdetection is to delay turning off the lockout of the counter aftercounting for a predetermined period (except the REG). An LEDopen-circuit protection detection condition is that VLED1 to VLED4<0.3 Vand VOVP>1.7 V, and an LED open-circuit protection release condition isthe EN input or the UVLO release. The action during the LED open-circuitprotection detection is only detecting an LED channel turned off(turning off the lockout). An LED short-circuit protection detectioncondition is that VLED1 to VLED4>4.5 V and VOVP<1.6 V, and an LEDshort-circuit protection release condition is the EN input or the UVLOrelease. The action during the LED short-circuit protection detection isonly detecting the LED channel turned off (the timer delays turning offthe lockout).

<Protection Sequence>

FIG. 6 is a timing diagram illustrating a protection sequence. About(*1), it is desirable that when the VCC is connected and reaches anaction voltage range, the voltage of the VDAC is fixed, and then the ENis connected. About (*2), it is desirable that the PWM and SYNC areconnected while VREG≧4.6 V. A sequence for connecting the PWM and theSYNC is not limited. About (*3), when FOSC=2000 kHz, a delay of about100 ms is generated. About (*4), a situation in which the FAIL1 terminalis pulled up with an external voltage is depicted.

A situation in which the LED2 terminal is in an open-circuit mode isdepicted as symbol {circle around (1)}. When it is detected thatVLED2<0.3 V and VOVP>1.7 V, the LED2 is turned off, and the FAIL2becomes a low level.

A situation in which the LED3 terminal is in a short-circuit mode isdepicted as symbol {circle around (2)}. About 100 ms after it isdetected that VLED3>4.5 V and VOVP<1.6 V, the LED3 is turned off.

A situation in which the LED4 terminal is in a GND short-circuit mode isdepicted as symbol {circle around (3)}. If it is detected that the Voutrises and VOVP>2.0 V, the SS terminal voltage is extracted, and theFAIL1 is set to a low voltage. Moreover, 100 ms after it is detectedthat VLED4<0.3 V, shutdown is performed.

<Block Diagram (Second Structural Embodiment)>

FIG. 7 is a circuit block diagram of a second structural embodiment ofan LED driver IC 100 (boost application structure). In the secondstructural embodiment, in order to implement the boost application, thetransistor N1, the diode D1 and the capacitor C4 in FIG. 1 aredismounted, and the inductor L1 is directly connected to the resistorR3.

<Block Diagram (Third Structural Embodiment)>

FIG. 8 is a circuit block diagram of a third structural embodiment of anLED driver IC 100 (buck application structure). In the third structuralembodiment, in order to implement the buck application, the diode D2 inFIG. 1 is dismounted, and the OUTL terminal is set to be anopen-circuit.

<LCD Device>

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a first implementation manner of an LCDdevice. The LCD device X of the first implementation manner includes anLED driving device A, an output segment B, an LED backlight device C,and an LCD panel D.

The LED driving device A is equivalent to a semiconductor IC device ofthe foregoing LED driver IC 100, and the LED driving device A includes aDC/DC controller A1, an output current driver A2 and an outputdischarging circuit A3.

The output segment B generates an output voltage Vout from an inputvoltage Vin and supplies the output voltage Vout to a discrete circuitof the LED backlight device C. The output segment B can be any of aboost/buck type (FIG. 1), a boost type (FIG. 7), and a buck type (FIG.8).

The LED backlight device C is an LED array of multiple LED components inseries connection or parallel connection (in FIG. 9, the array is 6sections of series connection×4 rows of parallel connection), andilluminates the LCD panel D from the back.

The LCD panel D is an image output mechanism that uses liquid crystalcomponents having light transmittance changing along with image signalsas pixels.

The DC/DC controller A1 controls the output segment B so that a lowestvalue of LED terminal voltages VLED1 to VLED4 input from the LEDbacklight device C is consistent with a predetermined reference voltageVref. The DC/DC controller A1 is equivalent to the DC/DC controllerblock of the LED driver IC 100 (FIG. 1) (which includes circuit blocksof the oscillation portion 109, the slope generation portion 110, thePWM comparator 111, the driver control portion 112, the upper controller113, the transistor 114, the lower controller 115, the transistor 116,the error amplifier 117, and the slow start portion 118), and theactions of the DC/DC controller A1 are described above, and are notdescribed herein again. Further, the DC/DC controller A1 determineswhether to generate the output voltage Vout based on an enable signal ENand a shutdown signal SHDN.

The output current driver A2 generates an output current ILED of the LEDbacklight device C. The output current driver A2 is equivalent to theoutput current driver 121 in the LED driver IC 100 (FIG. 1), and theactions of the output current driver A2 are described above, and so arenot described herein again. Further, the output current driver A2determines whether to generate the output current ILED based on theenable signal EN and the shutdown signal SHDN.

The output discharging circuit A3 performs discharging of the outputvoltage Vout when the generation action of the output voltage Vout andthe output current ILED based on the enable signal EN and the shutdownsignal SHDN stops.

FIG. 10 is a timing diagram of an action example of the outputdischarging circuit A3, in which the enable signal EN (or the shutdownsignal SHDN), the output voltage Vout during natural discharging, andthe output voltage Vout during output discharging are depicted from topto bottom in sequence.

In the structure of the prior art for performing the natural dischargingof the output voltage Vout, when the generation action of the outputvoltage Vout based on the enable signal EN (or the shutdown signal SHDN)stops, time of the order of several seconds is required to serve as adischarging time t1 for decreasing the output voltage Vout from a targetvoltage value to a predetermined value (−63.2%). Therefore, when the LEDdriving device A is shut down, the LED backlight device C can give outlight unexpectedly due to the residual output voltage Vout. Inparticular, when the shutdown and automatic restoration of the LEDdriving device A are repeatedly performed during a short period, the LEDbacklight device C can repeatedly give out light unexpectedly, and sothe LED backlight device C can flicker.

Accordingly, in the structure having the output discharging circuit A3,when the generation action of the output voltage Vout based on theenable signal EN (or the shutdown signal SHDN) stops, the output voltageVout can be discharged quickly in a discharging time t2 of the order ofseveral milliseconds. Therefore, the LED backlight device C is preventedfrom giving out light unexpectedly or flickering.

FIG. 11A is a circuit diagram of a first structural embodiment of theoutput discharging circuit A3. The output discharging circuit A3 of thefirst structural embodiment includes an N-channel MOS FET A31 and anNAND gate A32. A drain of the transistor A31 is connected to a VDISCterminal (an applied end of an output voltage Vout). A source of thetransistor A31 is connected to a ground end. A gate of the transistorA31 is connected to an output end of the NAND gate A32. A first inputend of the NAND gate A32 is connected to an applied end of an enablesignal EN. A second input end of the NAND gate A32 is connected to anapplied end of a shutdown signal SHDN (equivalent to the failure signalFAIL1 or failure signal FAIL2).

Under the circumstance that both the enable signal EN and the shutdownsignal SHDN rise to a high level (a logic level duringenabling/non-shutdown), a gate signal G1 output from the NAND gate A32turns to a low level, and so the transistor A31 is turned off, and theVDISC terminal is disconnected from the ground end. Therefore, theoutput voltage Vout is not discharged, and is provided to an LEDbacklight device C.

In another aspect, under the circumstance that either the enable signalEN or the shutdown signal SHDN becomes a low level (a logic level duringdisabling/shutdown) from high level (the logic level duringenabling/non-shutdown), the gate signal G1 output from the NAND gate A32becomes a high level, and so the transistor A31 is turned on, and theVDISC terminal is connected to the ground terminal. Therefore, theoutput voltage Vout is discharged quickly. Further, in the outputdischarging circuit A3 of the first structural embodiment, the outputvoltage Vout is discharged based on a capacitance value of an outputcapacitor in the output segment B and a time constant corresponding toan on-resistance value of the transistor A31.

FIG. 11B is a circuit diagram of a second structural embodiment of theoutput discharging circuit A3. The output discharging circuit A3 of thesecond structural embodiment includes basically the same structure asthe first structural embodiment, while the characteristic aspect lies inthat an N-channel FET A33 and a Zener diode A34 are added.

The transistor A33 is inserted between the VDISC terminal and a drain ofthe transistor A31, so that a drain voltage of the transistor A31 isbiased. If a specific connection relationship is described, a drain ofthe transistor A33 is connected to the VDISC terminal. A source of thetransistor A33 is connected to the drain of the transistor A31. A gateof the transistor A33 is connected to a gate of the transistor A31.

The Zener diode A34 is inserted between the gate of the transistor A31and the ground end, and a gate voltage of the transistor A31 is clampedto a Zener breakdown voltage (for example, 5 V). If a specificconnection relationship is described, a cathode of the Zener diode A34is connected to the gate of the transistor A31. An anode of the Zenerdiode A34 is connected to the ground end.

In the output discharging circuit A3 of the second structuralembodiment, when the output voltage Vout is discharged (the gate signalG1 is at a high level), a voltage between the gate and source of thetransistor A31 can be fixed at 5 V, and a voltage between the drain andsource of the transistor A31 can be fixed at 5 V−Vth (in which Vth is adrop voltage between the gate and source of the transistor A33).Therefore, in the output discharging circuit A3 of the second structuralembodiment, the discharging current can remain at a fixed value, so thatthe output voltage Vout is discharged based on a linear feature(referring to FIG. 10).

Compared with the first structural embodiment of performing CRdischarge, the second structural embodiment of performing lineardischarge is capable of rapidly discharging micro charges output fromthe capacitor, and therefore can quickly and correctly black out the LEDbacklight device C.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a stacking example of the transistor A31 and awiring layer L. The transistors A31 and A32 are switch components forconnecting/disconnecting a discharging path of the output voltage Vout,and its particular features are not essential.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, in the LED driving device A, an upperlayer of at least one of the transistors A31 and A32 is stacked with thewiring layer L. Through such a structure, the layout of the wiring layerL can be more flexible.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a second implementation manner of an LCDdevice. The LCD device X of the second implementation manner includesbasically the same structure as the first implementation manner, whilethe characteristic aspect lies in an LED short-circuit detection circuitA4 integrated on the LED driving device A. Therefore, structuralelements the same as the first implementation manner are marked with thesame symbols as in FIG. 9, the details of which will not be repeatedherein, while the characteristic aspects of the second implementationmanner are highlighted hereinafter.

The LED short-circuit detection circuit A4 is a circuit block(equivalent to a part of the open-circuit/short-circuit detectionportion 122 in FIG. 1) that monitors LED terminal voltages VLED1 toVLED4 fed back from a cathode of the LED backlight device C and performsthe LED short-circuit detection.

However, when forward voltage drops VF1 to VF4 of the LED rows that formthe LED backlight device C are of significant non-uniformity, the LEDshort-circuit detection can malfunction. For example, for the forwardvoltage drop VF of the LED component, the following situation isconsidered: a specification value is set to 3.5 V, non-uniformity is setto ±0.5 V, and a reference voltage Vref for comparison with the LEDterminal voltages VLED1 to VLED4 is set to 1.0 V.

In such a situation, if all the forward voltage drops VF of six LEDsforming the first LED row occur non-uniformity at a smaller side (3.0V), a total forward voltage drop VF1 required for driving the six LEDsto emit light is 18 V (18 V=3.0 V×6 segments). In another aspect, if allthe forward voltage drops VF of six LEDs forming the second LED rowoccur non-uniformity at a larger side (4.0 V), a total forward voltagedrop VF2 required for driving the six LEDs to emit light is 24 V (24V=4.0 V×6 segments). That is to say, a difference between the forwardvoltage drop VF1 of the first row and the forward voltage drop VF2 ofthe second row is 6 V.

If all the forward voltage drops VF of LEDs forming the third and fourthLED rows are specification value, the DC/DC controller A1 performsfeedback control of the output voltage Vout, so that the LED terminalvoltage VLED2 of the second row is consistent with the reference voltageVref (which is equal to 1.0 V). Therefore, the output voltage Vout is 25V (25 V=1.0 V+24 V), and the LED terminal voltage VLED1 of the first rowis 7 V (7 V=25 V−18 V).

If any of the LED terminal voltages VLED1 to VLED4 is higher than athreshold voltage Vth (for example, 4.5 V), the LED short-circuitdetection circuit A4 determines that the LED short-circuit has occurred,in which case it is determined erroneously that the first LED row isshort-circuited.

Therefore, the LED short-circuit detection circuit A4 controls whetheran action is performed or not according to a short-circuit detectionenable signal SHDETEN input from outside the LED driving device A.Specifically, the LED short-circuit detection circuit A4 makes theshort-circuit detection action valid when the short-circuit detectionenable signal SHDETEN is at a low level (a logic level during enabling),and makes the short-circuit detection action invalid when theshort-circuit detection enable signal SHDETEN is at a high level (alogic level during disabling).

Through such a structure, under the circumstance that the forwardvoltage drops VF of the LEDs forming the LED backlight device C havesignificant non-uniformity (for example, the LED backlight device C is acheap model from an emerging country), the short-circuit detectionenable signal SHDETEN is predetermined to a high level (the logic levelduring disabling) to prevent malfunction in detection of LEDshort-circuit.

FIG. 14A is a circuit diagram of a first structural embodiment of theLED short-circuit detection circuit A4. The LED short-circuit detectioncircuit A4 of the first structural embodiment compares LED terminalvoltages VLED1 to VLED4 applied to a non-inverting input end (+) and apredetermined threshold voltage Vth applied to an inverting input end(−), to generate a comparison signal S1 (equivalent to the LEDshort-circuit detection signal). The comparison signal S1 becomes a lowlevel (a normal logic level) when at least one of the LED terminalvoltages VLED1 to VLED4 is higher than the threshold voltage Vth, andbecomes a high level in other situations (a logic level during afailure).

Moreover, the comparator A41 controls whether the action is performed ornot according to the short-circuit detection enable signal SHDETEN.Specifically, the comparator A41 performs the comparison action when theshort-circuit detection enable signal SHDETEN is at a low level (a logiclevel during enabling), and in another aspect, constantly outputs thecomparison signal S1 of the low level (the normal logic level) while notperforming the comparison action when the short-circuit detection enablesignal SHDETEN is at a high level (a logic level during disabling).

FIG. 14B is a circuit diagram of a second structural embodiment of theLED short-circuit detection circuit A4. The LED short-circuit detectioncircuit A4 of the second structural embodiment includes an OR gate A42that masks the comparison signal S1 of the comparator A41 according tothe short-circuit detection enable signal SHDETEN rather thancontrolling whether the action of the comparator A41 is performed or notby use of the short-circuit detection enable signal SHDETEN.

The OR gate A42 performs a logic sum operation on the comparison signalS1 and the short-circuit detection enable signal SHDETEN, therebygenerating an output signal S2 (equivalent to the LED short-circuitdetection signal). Therefore, the output signal S2 becomes thecomparison signal S1 when the short-circuit detection enable signalSHDETEN is at the low level (the logic level during enabling), andconstantly becomes the high level (the normal logic level) independentof the comparison signal S1 when the short-circuit detection enablesignal SHDETEN is at the high level (the logic level during disabling).

<Other Variant Embodiments>

While several embodiments of the present invention have been illustratedand described, various modifications and improvements can be made bythose skilled in the art. For example, the dipolar transistor and theMOS FET can be substituted for each other, and the logic level ofvarious signals can be inverted at random. The embodiments of thepresent invention are therefore described in an illustrative but not ina restrictive sense. It is intended that the present invention shouldnot be limited to the particular forms as illustrated and that allmodifications which maintain the spirit and scope of the presentinvention are within the scope defined in the appended claims.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The LED driver IC of the present invention can be used as a light sourcedriving mechanism for an LCD stereo, or a small-to-medium sized LCDpanel.

What is claimed is:
 1. A light emitting diode (LED) driving device,comprising: a direct current/direct current (DC/DC) controller, forcontrolling an output segment that is used to generate an output voltagefrom an input voltage and supply the output voltage to an LED; an outputcurrent driver, for generating an output current of the LED; and an LEDshort-circuit detection circuit, for monitoring a cathode voltage of theLED to perform an LED short-circuit detection, wherein the LEDshort-circuit detection circuit controls whether or not an action isperformed according to a short-circuit detection enable signal inputfrom outside the LED driving device, and wherein the LED driving devicesupplies the output current to the LED without performing the LEDshort-circuit detection if the LED short-circuit detection circuit makesthe action invalid according to the short-circuit detection enablesignal.
 2. The LED driving device according to claim 1, wherein the LEDshort-circuit detection circuit comprises a comparator, which comparesthe cathode voltage of the LED and a predetermined threshold voltage. 3.The LED driving device according to claim 2, wherein the comparatorcontrols whether the action is performed or not according to theshort-circuit detection enable signal.
 4. The LED driving deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein the LED short-circuit detection circuitfurther comprises a logic gate, which masks an output signal of thecomparator according to the short-circuit detection enable signal.
 5. Anilluminator, comprising: the LED driving device according to claim 1;the output segment; and the LED.
 6. A liquid crystal display (LCD)device, comprising: an LCD panel; and the illuminator according to claim5 that illuminates the LCD panel from the back.
 7. The illuminatoraccording to claim 5, wherein the LED comprises a plurality of LED rows,and each of the plurality of the LED rows comprises a plurality of LEDsconnected in series, and the output voltage generated by the DC/DCcontroller determines the cathode voltages of the LED rows, and thecathode voltages of the LED rows equal to a maximized sum of thethreshold voltages of the plurality of LED rows.
 8. The LED drivingdevice according to claim 1, further comprising an external terminalreceiving the cathode voltage of the LED, wherein the output currentdriver and the LED short-circuit detection circuit are connected to theexternal terminal.